Battle of the 305: Last call for Miami Hurricanes and FIU Panthers

Miami, FL – The Miami Hurricanes host the FIU Panthers Wednesday night in their fourth and final meeting for the 2025 regular season. Florida International has won the previous two meetings, with a chance to win their first crosstown series since 2018. The Panthers limp into The Light, having lost four in a row, looking to improve their postseason prospects in the C-USA tournament. FIU is 26-22 overall, including a 9-11 conference record. They have rarely won on the road this year, going 4-14 after a bad weekend at Dallas Baptist.

The vibes remain high in Coral Gables 🙌 pic.twitter.com/LczoV4If9F

— Miami Hurricanes Baseball (@CanesBaseball) May 6, 2025

The Cardiac Canes, meanwhile, check in at 29-18, brimming at a 14-9 clip within ACC play. Miami has won 10 consecutive conference games, which includes five straight ACC weekend series victories and back-to-back-to-back sweeps. UM is also an impressive 20-7 at home. However, their 6-5 midweek record leaves a lot to be desired, making this last tilt all the more important. Their second-half surge has all but guaranteed a regional spot, but if there is a ding on the team, the committee will certainly see it with their struggles against weaker opponents.

What happened since

The Panthers pulled off a surprise sweep of No. 17 Western Kentucky, likely knocking them out of the regionals conversation. FIU was then thoroughly swept by No. 20 Dallas Baptist, turning euphoria into disappointment despite losing a close opener. The good news is that Florida International’s schedule becomes a lot easier heading into the last two weeks of the season.

.@doriang80069542 appreciation post 🙌

The Miami captain went 3-4 on Saturday with 4 RBIs, 3 hits (double & 2 singles) and one run as the Hurricanes claimed its fifth-straight ACC series victory after defeating No. 13 NC State, 10-3@CanesBaseball | @MiamiHurricanes | #GoCanes pic.twitter.com/ZqoWLvNZPt

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) May 5, 2025

UM shrugged off its 5-4 loss at FIU, sweeping Boston College on the road before winning both games versus No. 13 NC State in a rain-shortened series. They might have pulled it off on Sunday if the weather had cooperated.

Players to Watch

Brylan West torched Miami the last two meetings, going 6-for-10 in that span, recording three runs and a pair of RBIs. Not bad after going hitless at loanDepot Park. West played great against Dallas Baptist in Friday night’s defeat, finishing 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI, however, the Tampa native’s bat went silent the rest of the trip. Javier Crespo is another Panther who hit well against the Hurricanes, going 5-for-12 through the three games, scoring five times and driving in three. Crespo struggled this past weekend, tallying three hits in 11 at-bats. Andrew Ildefonso did not play in the first game of the Battle for the 305, but factored in the rest, managing three hits in nine at-bats, scoring once, and knocking in three. Ildefonso was one of the few who found success on the latest road series, producing four hits, two runs, three RBIs, and a home run.

Andrew sent that ball to a galaxy far, far away 💥 pic.twitter.com/j5FPu3QzDy

— FIU Baseball (@FIUBaseball) May 4, 2025

Daniel Cuvet has done little else in the Crosstown series outside his grand slam in game one. With that said, Danny Dingers is having a great year, hitting .341 with a 1.045 OPS. Cuvet was on fire versus NC State, manufacturing five hits in six at-bats, amassing four runs, and eight RBIs. Freshman Fabio Peralta’s bat went cold during April and is trying to get back on track. A minimal presence in game three, he was 2-for-7 in the first two games. Let’s see how May treats him. Curiously enough, Jake Ogden is the most successful against FIU, achieving three hits in 12 plate appearances. Ogden went 4-for-8 with 4 runs and a stolen base versus the Wolfpack.

Prediction

Another great outing yesterday from the freshman AJ Ciscar 🙌

6.2 IP | 5 H | 1 R | 1 BB | 6 K ✅ pic.twitter.com/8N5WWBTKWr

— Miami Hurricanes Baseball (@CanesBaseball) May 4, 2025

Miami has more to play for than FIU, and considering the two-game losing skid to the Panthers, the Hurricanes will play with a fire lit under them. Coach J.D. Arteaga will see to that. Regardless of the outcome, the game, like the series, should be fun. Final Score: 7-3 Hurricanes.

About Post Author

Gabriel Garcia

Just an avid sports fan who happens to have a love-hate (mostly love) relationship with his local teams be it collegiate or professional and also happens to be a news junkie. Mix in outstanding optimism with cold realism and you’ve got yourself a balanced cocktail perfect for champions.

See author's posts